Golf exercising apparatus



June 7, 1949. R. F. COTTINGHAM 2,472,055

GOLF. EXERCISING APPARATUS Filed Oct. a1, 1946 a Shee'ts-Sheet 1 June 7,1949. R. F. COTTINGHAM GOLF EXERGISING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FiledOct. 31.. 1.946

MWEn/TQ fz/Fms F COTT/NGHAM June 7, 1949. R. F. COTTINGHAM 6 GOLFEXERCISING APPARATUS Filed 001;. 51, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet S Patented June7, 1949 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE Application October 31, 1946, SerialNo. 706,853 In Great Britain August 24, 1945 Section 1, Public Law 690,August 8, 1946 Patent expires August 24, 1965 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for practising golf and is acontinuation-in-part of that described in my co-pending applicationSerial No. 641,885.

The primary object of the invention is to provide golf practisingapparatus which enbles the user to obtain exercise and build up thosemuscles brought into use during that department of the game concernedwith driving, 1. e. when the club is applied with a full swingingmovement to hit the ball with considerable force to drive itcomparatively long distances. In attaining this object the saidapparatus is constructed to impose a resistance to the swing of theclub, preferably only to the down swing or operative stroke, thuscausing the user to exert a greater force than would normally berequired in free natural play. As a consequence not only are the precisemuscles necessary for driving developed, but they are developed in thecorrect way requisite for swinging.

A further object of the invention is to provide golf practisingapparatus of the character referred to having means whereby the amountof resistance imposed may be adjusted; this not only provides foradapting the apparatus to different physiques, but enables it to beadjusted step by step for a progressive course of training and a gradualbuilding up of the relevant muscles.

In its broadest aspect the invention comprises 7 a control elementrotatably mounted at one end to a fixed structure, and provided with aclub carrying device at its other end which can swing about therotatable mounting as the club is gripped and swung by the player, andbraking means associated with the rotatable mounting to impose aresistance to the turning of the control element in the said mountingand thus to the swinging of the club.

In a preferred embodiment the exercising dey vice according to theinvention is preferably combined with means to keep the part of the clubgripped by the hands in a predetermined plane and on a predetermined arelying in that plane as described in the specification of my co-pendingpatent application Serial No. 641,885, and such an embodiment will bedescribed by Way of example with reference to the accompanying drawingswherein- Figure 1 is a front view of such an exercising I device withthe braking means of the present invention incorporated therein.

Figure 2 is a section taken through the braking means.

Figure 3 is a front view of the braking means, and

Figures 4*. and 5 illustrate the invention incorporated in amodification of the exercising device shown in Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings the apparatus comprises a. vertical post I onwhich is slidably mounted a rod-supporting bracket 2 which is adapted tobe adjustably fixed in position on the post. The post I may be embeddedin the ground and held rigid by guy ropes or other devices, or, forindoor work, it may be secured to a wall or other convenient fixedstructure.

To the said bracket 2 is secured a hollow journal-bearing 3 the axis.A-A of which is directed approximately towards the position which is tobe occupied by the player, and said axis AA can be varied fromapproximatel the horizontal to other positions inclined downwardly awayfrom the bracket 2. One way of making such an adjustment is to mount thebearing 3 on a short platform 4.horizontally pivoted to the bracket 2and to support said platform 4 by a hinged strut 5 extendingupWa-rdsfrom the bracket 2 and having a pin-and-slot clamping connection6 with the platform. By this device the angle AA of the axis of thebearing 3 can be varied, and consequentlyany element rotatable in thehearing 3 will itself turn about the axis so that the end of a memberforming part of the element but oifset from the axis AA will describe apath in a plane normal to the axis. It will be seen therefore that byapproximately adjusting the location of the axis AA a plane of thecharacter described can be pre-set in a variety of positions from thevertical to various degrees of inclination therefrom.

In the said journal-bearing 3 is mounted a stub shaft 7 forming ajournal, there being radial and/or thrust bearings interposed so thatthe journal normally turns smoothly and easily in the bearing 3, but aswill be seen later may be braked to varying degrees. This journal 3carries a device described later herein as the control element. In aVery simple form the control element may :be a plain straight rodsecured to the journal in such a way that it may be inclined to the axisof the journal 3 to an adjusted degree. Such an arrangement, however,will serve only in cases where the free end of the rod is disposed in aplane intended to be unalterable during play, but it is preferred togive the player freedom of movement for bracing the body forward and tothis end a parallel linkage is introduced between the rod (i. e. thecontrol rod) and the journal so that a limited degree of controlledvariation of the pre-set plane may take place during play.

This parallel linkage comprises a diamond assembly of links 8, 9a, 9band I0, one, i. e. the basic link 8, being fixedly and adjustablymounted on the journal shaft 1 and projecting downwardly therefrom at anangle to its axis A-A. To the ends of said basic link 8 there arepivoted respectively a pair of upwardly directed side links 9a, 9b, andpivotally mounted between the free ends of said side links 9a., 9b is acontrol rod H] which has a continuation projecting forwardly anddownwardly from the side links 911, 9b away from the direction of thejournal. This control rod It] lies parallel with the basic link 8, andits free end carries the member to which the olf club shaft is secured.The contraction and/or expansion of the said parallel linkage(particularly the expansion) may be under the control of a suitablespring or springs l 2.

The basic link 8, and thus the whole parallel linkage and the controlrod l forming part thereof, is fixed in requisite angular relationshipwith the journal axis A-A by a suitable device such as a slottedquadrant II on the basic link co-acting with a bolt and clamping nutcarried by the journal shaft 1.

By adjusting the angular position of the parallel linkage in relation tothe journal axis AA, the free end Illa of the projecting control rod canbe brought closer or nearer to the said axis A-A and consequently thearc swept by the said free end of the control rod ID as the wholecontrol element turns on the journal-bearing 3 may be varied in radius.Also, should the player press forward, the parallel linkage will permitthe plane of the arc to move forward, within limits, but always parallelto the plane pre-set by the original adjustment of the inclination ofthe axis of the journal.

The control rod may be telescopically adjustable to displace the pre-setplane of swing nearer l to or further away from the journal anchoragepoint, and also to raise and lower the member carried by the free end ofthe rod to which the club shaft is attached, a clamping screw I 3 beingprovided to hold the rod ID in the telescopically adjusted position.

The club carrier l4 may take the form of a tubular body Ma to embracethe club shaft 5 with clearance and two end rings 14b mounted on thetubular body Ma with the interposition of thrust bearings 0, said endrings having set screws Md for clamping the shaft l5 thereto. The shaftl5 may thereby freely rotate on its longitudinal axis in the carrier l4yet be fixed against axial sliding movement. The tubular body 14 isprovided with an arm l6 extending upwardly at an acute angle to the axisof the body Ma, and it is connected to the control rod I0 at the upperextremity by a pivoted joint 18 on an element I1 rotatable in thecontrol rod Ill and constituting a form of universal joint. The saidjoint will therefore be spaced away from the club shaft I5 mounted inthe carrier M, and will not interfere with the grip on the club, whilstat the same time it can serve to position the universal joint centrallyover the players gripping hands.

The club 15 is therefore capable of being clamped to the carrier M, inthe region of the grip, and can be freely inclined at any requisiteangle radiating from the universal joint l8, and twisted on its own axisto open and close the striking face of the club head l9.

Referring again to the hollow journal-bearing 3 the short stub axle Icarrying the control element In extends through the hollow journal andat its end carries a brake assembly 20 which, as shown more particularlyin Figures 2 and 3, comprises an element 2| which co-acts with anarcuate segmental brake member 22 pivoted at one end 23 to a plate 24forming part of or fixed to the hollow journal 3. This brake member 22(lined with appropriate brake lining) which is pivoted at one end 23 maybe moved outwards by a spring 22a to an adjustable degree as determinedby a set screw 25 bearing on the exterior of the segment 22. By thismeans the brake element 2|, which turns with the stub axle as the club(5 swings, may press against the drum segment 22 to an adjustabledegree, and the resistance imposed is thereby capable of variation.

It is preferred that the action of the brake shall be uni-directional inorder that its effect is only exerted during the down swing (leaving theback or up swing free). For this purpose the brake element 2| on thestub axle 1 is made to work in the manner of a jamming or wedgingfriction clutch. That is to say it is a pawl-like wedge member pivotedat 26 in a peripheral pocket 21 in a pawl block 28 fixed to the stubaxle l, the walls of said pocket 2'! being so disposed in re lation tothe pawl 2| and its pivot 26 that in one direction of rotation the pawl21 swings to bring its operative end on to a minor radius clear of thebraking element, Whilst in the other direction the pawl swingsoppositely to bring its operative end on to a major radius and intobraki?r:;g contact with the arcuate segmental member The pocket 2'! maybe closed by a plate 29 and the parts of the assembly secured to rotatewith the stub shaft 1 being fixed to the latter by a bolt 33, the brakeplate 24 carrying the braking segment 22 being fixed to or formed aspart of the journal bearing 3.

In the arrangement shown in Figures 4 and 5 the journal bearing 3 andthe stub axle 7 are fitted respectively with the parts of the brakingdevice as above described with reference to Figures 2 and 3. With thisembodiment however, the link 8 of the parallel linkage of theconstruction shown in Figure 1 is replaced by a quadrant plate 3! withan extending arm 32 inclinded to the axis of the journal bearing 3 in anupward direction and the two links 9a, 3b are replaced respectively by alink 33 pivoted to the quadrant plate 3| at the centre of the radius ofits slot H and by a link 34 pivoted to the outer end of the quadrantplate 3| at a point substantially in line with the axis of the journalbearing 3. Both links 33 and 34 are pivotally connected to the inner endof the control rod I 0, and the tension spring [2, extends between theouter ends of arm 32 and link 34. The quadrant plate 3| has secured toit a pair of arms 35 whereby the said plate 3| is clamped to a sectorplate 36 pivoted. to the bearing journal 3 (see specially Figure 5) Theclamp screw 37 passing through the arcuate slot 33 of the sector plate3% enables the Whole of the control assembly to be inclined laterally inrelation to the axis of the journal 3 and to be locked in the setposition.

The platform 4 which supports the sleeve 3 of the bearing journal iscarried by a second quadrant plate 40 which is hinged to the bridgingportion which extends between two clampable collars 42 slidable on thepost I The club mounting means are of the same construction as thoseshown in Figure 1 and like parts are given the same references as usedin Figure l.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for use in practising golf comprising a fixed structure, astub shaft rotatably and angularly mounted on said fixed structure, acontrol device mounted by one end for rotation with said stub shaft, acombined swivel and pivot joint on the other end of said control device,club carrier means adapted to support a club with freedom to rotateabout the longitudinal axis of its shaft, said carrier means beingmounted by means of said swivel and pivot joint to said control deviceand adapted to swivel and pivot in relation thereto as the clubsupported in said carrier means is gripped and swung by the player andbraking means adapted for co-operation with the stub shaft to resist theturning of the control device and the associated carrier means and clubto impose restraint on the swing of the club during the operative downstroke thereof.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a sleeve is secured to saidfixed structure and the stub shaft is rotatable within said sleeve, thebraking means having parts which are connected respectively with saidsleeve and with said stub shaft.

3. Apparatus for use in practising golf comprising a height-adjustablesupporting structure, an arcuate segmental brake shoe pivotally mountedon said supporting structure, a stub shaft rotatably and angularlymounted on said supporting structure, a braking element in the form of apawl pivotally mounted on said stub shaft for swinging in a planeperpendicular to the shaft axis and adapted in one direction of swing towedge against the inside of said brake shoe, a control device mounted byone end for rotation with said stub shaft, a combined swivel and pivotjoint on the other end of said control device, club carrier meansadapted to support a club with freedom to rotate about the longitudinalaxis of its shaft, said carrier means being mounted by means of saidswivel and pivot joint to said control device and adapted to swivel andpivot in relation thereto as the club supported in said carrier means isgripped and swung arcuately by the player, the said braking pawl andshoe cooperating to exert a retarding action on the rotation of the stubshaft and the associated control device, club carrier means and clubduring the downstroke of the club.

4. Apparatus for use in practising golf comprising a shaft supported forrotation and angular adjustment in relation to and above ground level, acarrier Within which a golf club is adapted to be supported for freerotation about its longitudinal axis, a control assembly mounted by oneend to said shaft for rotation therewith and pivotally and swivellyconnected by the other end to said carrier and incorporating anarticulated linkage, and a braking device co-operating with said shaftin one direction of rotation to restrain its rotation, adjustment of theinclination of the axis of the shaft and of the setting of the linkagein relation to said shaft disposing the club for arcuate swinging in adesired plane of inclination in relation to the vertical, the brakingmeans acting in one direction of rotation of said shaft to exert aretarding influence on the rotation of the shaft and the associatedcontrol assembly, carrier and club during the downstroke of the club.

5. Apparatus for use in practising golf comprising a supporting postadapted to be erected on the ground, a height-adjustable bracket on saidpost, a platform mounted on said bracket for adjustment of the angle ofinclination of the platform toward the ground, a journal bearing on saidplatform, a segmental arcuate braking shoe pivoted by one end to saidjournal bearing, a, stub shaft freely rotatably mounted in said journalbearing, a braking element in the form of a pawl pivotally mounted onsaid stub shaft for swinging in a plane perpendicular to the shaft axisand adapted in one direction of rotation to wedge against the inside ofthe pivoted shoe, an articulated linkage of frame form attached to saidshaft so as to rotate therewith and incorporating one limb constitutinga control rod which extends beyond the linkage frame and one other limbwhich is directly swinga-ble on said shaft for adjustment of the linkageframe, clamp means for setting said swingably adjustable limb of theframe in a fixed position relatively to said shaft, spring meansassociated with said linkage frame and tending always to pull saidcontrol rod toward the swingably adjustable limb of the frame, a controlarm swivelly and pivotally jointed to said control rod, and club carriermeans mounted on said control arm and including a freely revolublesleeve adapted to receive and grip the shaft of a golf club, the meansfor adjustment of the inclination of the axis of the shaft and of thesetting of the articulated linkage frame in relation to said shaftpermitting of the setting of the control rod in such a position as todispose the club shaft for arcuate swinging in a desired plane ofinclination in relation to the vertical, and the co-operating brakingpawl and shoe acting in one direction of rotation to exert a retardingaction on the rotation of the stub shaft and the associate linkage,control rod, club carrier means and club during the downstroke of theclub.

RUFUS FRANK COT'I'JNGHAM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 553,373 Webber Jan. 21, 1896575,249 Koven Jan. 12, 1897 1,480,717 Fournier Jan. 15, 1924 1,983,920Perin Dec. 11, 1934 2,328,408 Beil et a1. Aug. 31, 1943

